Steve Gutierrez – Vickie Vértiz

A Man in His Backyard: sightseeing in City of Commerce with author Stephen Gutierrez

Read Vertiz’s new essay on KCET: “A Man in His Backyard: sightseeing in the City of Commerce with author Stephen Gutierrez.”

The essay is like driving through the streets of southeast LA: past its modest homes, past the Citadel Outlets, past parks and schools that made gold medal swimmers and writers like Steve. Of course the journey ends with stuffed churros– how else could it go?

Thanks to Steve for his stories and rivers that sound like freeways.

KCET Communities: “Pioneers of Artistic Revolution: Making Art and Space in Southeast L.A.

As part of an ongoing project about the importance of the 710 corridor in Los Angeles, Vickie Vertiz contributed an article about the arts, teachers, and artists in Southeast Los Angeles, where she grew up. She names a few writers who also document the lives of the people in Southeast L.A., such as Steve Gutierrez’s short stories in Live from Fresno y Los and in Hector Tobar’s book, Translation Nation.

While the 710 freeway is considered the backbone of commerce in Southern California, the Southeast L.A. region is rich with writers, visual artists, amazing public school teachers, and community art activists. Read the article here.

Bell businesses. Photo credit: Cynthia Herrera